Commissioner Roosevelt: The Story of Theodore Roosevelt and the New York City Police, 1895-1897

by H. Paul Jeffers

"A lively, entertaining and well-researched portrait of a zealous reformer during the historic crusade that successfully launched his career in government."--Booklist

COMMISSIONER The Story of Theodore Roosevelt and the New York City Police, 1895 - 1897

When Theodore Roosevelt took office as New York's police commissioner in 1895, the Metropolitan Police force was barely more than a confederation of thugs and petty criminals whose chief activity was to extort protection money from local merchants. The thirty-seven-year-old Roosevelt rode roughshod over the corrupt bosses and power brokers and transformed the police into one of the first modern law enforcement agencies in the world.

Combining the best elements of biography and social history, Commissioner Roosevelt reveals a fascinating episode from the life of one of America's most colorful cities, and one of her most charismatic leaders.

Genres: History, Biography

285 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

H. Paul Jeffers was an established military historian and author of seventy books. He worked as an editor and producer at ABC, CBS and NBC, and is the only person to have been news director of both of New York City's all-news radio stations. He taught journalism at New York University, Syracuse University, and Boston University.

Reviews

[Courtney]

This was a wonderfully quick read about a little known aspect of Theodore Roosevelt’s career prior to becoming president. It details how in a short amount of time he took a corrupt institution and introduced much needed reform. During his two short years as police commissioner he ensured promotion by merit rather than bribery, cleaned house of corrupt officers, introduced the first bicycle patrols, and introduced the first official firearm trainings among other stellar accomplishments.

For anyone who is curious about the early history of the NYC Police department or the early history of Teddy Roosevelt, I highly recommend this book.

[David]

The author provides a good over view of TR's time as President of the NY City Police Commission. I just wish he spent a bit less time on the politics and a bit more on the day to day operations of and challenges faced by the Commission.

[Ryan Johnson]

Well, finally finished. Learned a lot about a great tenacious man and his time prior to being president.

[Little Timmy]

Exceptional history book. An awesome and quick read. The writer doesn't bog you down but carries you along in the events discussed. Highly recommended